Issues - Gender bias

Question 1

define gender bias

Answer 1

When psychological research offers a view that does not justifiably represent the experience of both men and women.
This threatens the iniversality of research that aims to develop theories that apply to eveyone

Question 2

Who conducted research into differences between sexes

Answer 2

Macoby and Jacklin 1974

Question 3

What are the findings of Mackoby and Jacklin 1974

Answer 3

They concluded there was only consistent evidence for 4 differences:
- Girls have a greater verbal ability than boys
- boys have greater visual and spacial abilities than girls
- boys have greater arithmetic abilities than girls
- girls are less agressive than boys

Question 4

What are the characteristics of extreme female brains

Answer 4

• high empathising
• low systemising skills

Question 5

What do exteme female brains help explain

Answer 5

Bremser and Gallup 2012:
proposed that having an extreme female brain could explain the different prevalence rates in eating disorders between sexes.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of extreme male brains

Answer 6

• high systemising
• low empathising skills

Question 7

What do exteme male brains help explain

Answer 7

baron-cohen 2002:
argied the higher prevalence rates of ASD in males is a result of having an ‘extreme male brain’

Question 8

what are the types of gender bias

Answer 8

• alpha bias
• beta bias

Question 9

define alpha bias

Answer 9

Behaviour is misrepresented because psychological research exaggerates/ overestimates the differences between the sexes

Question 10

What is a consequence of alpha bias

Answer 10

one gender is devalued in comparison with the other.

Question 11

Where is alpha bias in psychological research you have covered

Answer 11

• Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
• diagnosis of SZ
• Freud’s theory that women are failed men

Question 12

How is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation an example of alpha bias

Answer 12

Bowlby over exaggerates the role of the mother, whilst devaluing the role of the father.

Question 13

How is diagnosis of Sz an example of alpha bias

Answer 13

Overestimates the differences in prevelance rates of SZ so diagnosis may be missed in female patients

Question 14

How is Freud’s theory that women are failed men an example of alpha bias

Answer 14

this theory devalues women claiming they are sexually inferior. They have penis envy because they arent men

Question 16

what are the implications of alpha bias

Answer 16

• creates misleading assumptions about male/female behaviour
• leads to potentially damaging social stereotypes and scientific ‘justifiucations’ to deny people oppertunities or diagnose disorders.

Question 17

define beta bias

Answer 17

behavior is misrepresented because psychological research minimises/ underestimates the differences betweeen the sexes.

Question 18

Where is beta bias in psychological research you have covered

Answer 18

• Asch and Zimbardo
• fight/ flight
• kohlberg

Question 19

How are Asch and Zimbardo an example of beta bias

Answer 19

Asch and Zimbardo are examples of researchers who only used male participants in their research but published their findings as universal

Question 20

How flight or flight research an example of beta bias

Answer 20

fight or flight research was conducted on male animals however new research suggests higher levels of oxytocin in females results in them leaning towards ‘tend and befriend’

Question 21

How is kohlberg an example of beta bias

Answer 21

Kohlberg states that his staged theory of moral development of descision making was simultaneuously androcentric and universal

Question 22

What are the implications of beta bias

Answer 22

• It encourages men and women to be seen as equals which leads to more equal oppertunities.
• However it may lead to misrepresentation of experiences.

Question 23

define androcentrism

Answer 23

also known as the ‘male bias’ and is when behavior of men is accepted as the norm and behaviour of women is different is therefore atypical.

Question 24

what is androcentrism a consequence of

Answer 24

gender bias whether alpha or beta